Derib

Claude de Ribaupierre

(b. 8 August 1944, Switzerland)

Since the age of eleven, Claude De Ribaupierre (Derib) has drawn the human body and its skeleton structure. Therefore, he was soon familiar with the human anatomy. After having a job as a horseback riding instructor, Derib went to Brussels to start a career in comics. He got a job at Studio Peyo, where he worked on several stories with 'Les Schtroumpfs' ('The Smurfs'), that were published in Spirou. He also produced some 'Belles Histoires de l'Oncle Paul', as well as his first realistic series, 'Arnoud de Casteloup' (1966).

From 1967, he teamed up with Maurice Rosy to start the series about the talking dog 'Attila' in Spirou. That same year, he created the joking owl 'Pyhagore' with Job in Le Crapaud à Lunettes. For that same magazine, Derib and Job also created the little Indian 'Yakari', Derib's first big success. In 1970, he joined Tintin magazine, where he began making western comics written by Michel Greg, such as 'Go West'. Derib subsequently created the famous 'Buddy Longway' series on his own in 1972, which he continued until 1987, and then restarted in 2002.

Unlike other comics, Derib and Greg let their characters evolve throughout the series. From 1978, the 'Yakari' series also appeared in Tintin. In addition to Tintin, Derib collaborated on Achille Tallon magazine, where he drew 'Les Ahlalàààs' (text by Greg). In 1981 appeared 'Celui-qui-est-né-deux-fois', a western that can be considered Derib's masterpiece.

In the 1980s, Derib began making more substantial and socially-motivated comics. In 1981, he created 'Jo', the first comic book on AIDS ever published. In 'Pour toi, Sandra' (1995), Derib dealt with the problem of prostitution and 'No Limits' described violence. He made 'La Grande Saga Indienne', a long saga about the Native Americans. In addition, he began 'Red Road', a present-day western. Derib has also collaborated on several collective albums. In 2002, he took new the 'Buddy Longway' series again. Best known for his humanistic comics and his several western projects, Derib stands as one of the major artists of European comics.